Massaging your child from an early age has many benefits for both parent and child.
An Excerpt from the Book `Infant Massage`
by Vilma McCure
Anthropologist Ashley Montagu, author of Touching, states that a child’s close relationship with his parents is a source of basic self esteem. “persons who are callously unresponsive to human need, who have become hardened that they are no longer in touch with the human condition, are not merely metaphorically so” he says, “but clearly physiologically so”
A study reported in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology confirmed this idea, indicating that the higher the subject’s self-esteem, the more he communicates through touch. Before the age of twelve, children are more tactile-kinesthetic, that is, they use feeling more than sight or hearing for information about the world.
Therefore a warm touch can often trigger an outpouring of feeling or thoughts more than verbal communication. Saying “I Love You” to your child is important, but more important is communicating your love through eye contact.
In addition for children, when praise is accompanied by touch, it is taken in eight-five percent of the time, whereas praise is given only with words is believed or absorbed only fifteen percent of the time.
Bonding between parents and children continues as the children age, simply because a child has graduated from the in-arms stage doesn’t mean she no longer needs your attention through healthy touching.
She will no longer be nursing, she won’t cuddle in the same way, her circle of support will widen and she will be increasingly busy exploring the infinite possibilities of her world. But as she grows out of her mothers and father’s arms, she will come to cherish those moments of closeness that reassure her that mommy and daddy are always there with a warm smile and a loving massage.
I was sent a private message not so long ago, where a mother had come to classes and was taking some bonding time with her third child. (She had older children who were in school). This mother took the time to write and say thank you, for not only enjoying her classes but for realising that her older children needed massaging too. One of her older children had come home from school upset and stressed and by spending some time with them through massage and touch, the upset and the stress was eased.
It is one of those things that has been around for years and practiced in many countries and perhaps you have never considered massage as a means of opening communication between you and your child. Here are a couple of links to help you and if you have any questions or would like more information please contact me on 087 0577013.
Useful Resources:
• https://www.massagetherapy.com/articles/children-and-massage
• http://www.iaim.net/massage-your-baby/massage-and-the-growing-child/